December 29 - White Rock Pier Feeding Frenzy

I received a notice from the VanBirds bird alert just after Christmas that there had been a massive Anchovy influx in the waters off of the White Rock Pier. Many of them perished there, possibly from lack of oxygen in the water.

I didn't get there until a few days later, but did not miss the action by delaying. I had been hopeful that the crowds of people would thin out, but it was very busy on this Tuesday afternoon.



Once I reached the foot of the pier, there were probably more than a thousand gulls in the water. They all appeared to be Glaucous-winged Gulls, I didn't have the patience to look for other species.


Glaucous-winged Gulls - White Rock Pier, White Rock BC

Here's a close-up of one of the participants.


Glaucous-winged Gull - White Rock Pier, White Rock BC

At this point i was close to the North shoreline and quite far from the southern breakwater that was a barrier to the open ocean. The birds that I was seeing were comfortable on the more sheltered waters.

Here's a Red-breasted Merganser along with what I'm guessing is a female White-winged Scoter. Both sea-going ducks that I sometimes see just offshore at Point Roberts.


Red-breasted Merganser and White-winged Scoter  - White Rock Pier, White Rock BC

This duck is easy to identify, a male White-winged Scoter. the white around the eye is unmistakeable.

White-winged Scoter -  White Rock Pier, White Rock BC

Also inside the breakwater were some mammals, the larger Steller Sea Lion and smaller Harbor Seal. This one was a seal.


Harbor Seal - White Rock Pier, White Rock BC

The reports I had read had mentioned Red-throated Loons out beyond the breakwater. I'd seen some earlier in the year but none recently. Those that I saw here were in Basic (non-breeding) plumage, but were still a welcome sight.

Red-throated Loon - White Rock Pier, White Rock BC

Also present were Common Loons, also in Basic plumage. If you compare this to the above photo, you can see how much stockier the Common Loon is.

Common Loon - White Rock Pier, White Rock BC

There were plenty of Gulls on the breakwater waiting for their opportunity to feed. These ones might have had their fill already as they are looking quite sedate.



I took a couple of more shots of Red-throated Loons before heading back inland. On this first shot you can see the markings on the throat that will turn red later in the spring.


Red-throated Loon - White Rock Pier, White Rock BC

Red-throated Loon - White Rock Pier, White Rock BC

Some of the smaller birds were on the rocks observing the activity.

Rock Pigeon - White Rock Pier, White Rock BC

Black Turnstone - White Rock Pier, White Rock BC

I was making my way back now and seeing some of the same species I'd seen going out. This is one I'd seen but had not succeeded in getting a good shot. This shows the Common Goldeneye quite well for both the male and female. He has a more rounded white spot than the Barrow's Goldeneye. The females are more difficult to differentiate, the Common has more black on the bill than yellow. 

Common Goldeneye - White Rock Pier, White Rock BC

The most amazing thing about the day was the Gulls acting like Northern Gannets and diving head first into the waters. 


Glaucous-winged Gull - White Rock Pier, White Rock BC




Thus ended my 2019 birding year, a spectacular finish. My count was down for this year, but I added 10 entries to my Life List, mostly due to the Washington/Idaho/Montana trip taken with with Chris in May 2019.

I'll try to do a year in review post sometime in the near future.